Bosnia & Herzegovina

From our base just outside Dubrovnik, we drove into Bosnia & Herzegovina for a day trip. We planned to see the historic town of Mostar. We read that the border lineup could be very long and slow so we left earlyish. On the way out, the border wasn’t too bad considering they only had one lane leaving Croatia and one lane entering Bosnia & Herzegovina. Yup, we had to go through two border controls each way. The drive to the border was quite nice, on the non-freeway roads, we passed a lot of fresh fruit and honey stands. Not knowing whether picking up some fresh fruit would be a problem entering into Bosnia & Herzegovina, we decided to play it safe and skip. We got through the border without any issue and off we were to explore Mostar. There are a lot of similarities driving through both countries. We continued to see a lot of abandoned and dilapidated homes. Another sign of the not so long ago distance war and the exodus of people trying to escape the conflict. 

Mostar is best known for "Stari Most", the bridge spanning the Neretva River. This attraction is what draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to this city each year. The bridge is an impressive piece of architecture originally constructed in the 16th century. It was destroyed in 1993 during the Croat-Bosnik war but was subsequently reconstructed to replicate the original bridge and reopened in 2004. Today on either side of the bridge, there are small shops lining the streets where you can find anything from intrinsic tea sets, to artwork, to scarves, to souvenirs and plenty of restaurants. Walking over the bridge can be a little tricky as it is quite slopped and the stones used to build the bridge can be a little slippery. An old tradition has once again started at the bridge....diving. While we did not have the opportunity to actually witness this event, locals will dive from the highest point of the bridge's arch, some 79 feet above the river below. It is said that local youths dive from the bridge as a sign of their transition into manhood. 


What may not be as common knowledge is the city remains somewhat ethnically divided between Muslims and Christians. It is pretty evident when you walk from one side of the city over the bridge to the other side. There are mosques and women dressed in traditional Muslim garb on one side, while the other side has churches. Reading about the city it appears as though full healing from the conflict is still in the works. 

We plan was to head down to Počitelj, a town about 30 minutes south of Mostar. We were going to have lunch there and check out their medieval fortress. All was going according to our plan until an intense thunder and lightening storm changed those plans. We had just arrived in Počitelj and were driving up the road to find the entrance to walk up to the fortress. A few rain drops started and we thought, no big deal it will pass quickly. Except that these few rain drops intensified to the point where we no longer felt safe driving on the road. We pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant and sat there awhile contemplating whether we wanted to risk exiting the car to head into the restaurant. Then the hail started and the lightening lit up the sky with very regular flashes with not a lot of time in between. The thunder cracked through the sky very quickly after the lightening; I barely got to "2 mississippi's" after the lightening which meant the storm was pretty much right over us. We felt safest sitting in the car because the second we got out, we'd be soaked to the bone and it would be a very uncomfortable lunch. Others had the same idea and pulled off the side of the road and sat waiting out the storm. After what seemed like forever, but was probably about 15-20 minutes, the rain lightened up to the point where we felt comfortable driving again. 

We came across a hotel and restaurant called Storia and by this time we were both really hungry so we decided to stop to eat. The place had the best sign ever to describe the restaurant. It said: "Probably the last chance for a good meal today." The sign did not lie. Our lunch was incredibly good, made with fresh ingredients and had that home cooked feel to it. The portions were quite generous too. I ordered a garden salad and tomato soup. When both arrived, I was unsure how I'd finish. The salad itself was enough to satisfy my appetite. And then add the soup, which normally when you order soup in a restaurant, you get a standard bowl sided serving. My soup came in a serving bowl with a ladle and another bowl for me to eat from. The portion was enough to feed a family. I think the chef prepared a pot of soup and I was served that entire pot. I have to say it was very tasty and was definitely home made. Z ordered the cevapi which too was a very generous portion and came with pita bread and french fries. I don't think we had a big supper that evening. This was a good day trip despite the monsoon.